Great Whales

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Bannister
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Blue Whale ◽  
Baleen Whales ◽  
Fin Whale ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Toothed Whale ◽  
History Of ◽  
Storey Building

Whales are mysterious and fascinating creatures. Despite modern technology, their world is still largely unexplored and unknown. They can only be seen, or rather glimpsed, when they are near the sea surface, either from boats, or perhaps from shore, or underwater by divers. They also reach astonishing sizes – the blue whale, for example, can grow to 30 metres in length, equivalent to the height of a six-storey building, and can weigh more than 130 tonnes. Seven ‘Great Whales’ are found in the coastal waters surrounding Australia. These include six of the largest baleen whales – blue whale, fin whale, humpback whale, sei whale, Bryde’s whale and southern right whale – and the sperm whale, the largest toothed whale. This book provides a detailed account of these extraordinary mammals. As well as the seven Great Whales, a smaller species – the minke whale – is included because of its special interest to Australians. The book describes whales’ highly specialised mammalian structure and biology, and the history of people’s association with them, at first through legend and wonder, then whaling, and more recently whale watching. It also looks at their past and current status, and the conservation initiatives that are in place to protect them from existing or potential threats. With both historical and recent photographs, as well as an extensive glossary, Great Whales will be enjoyed by natural history enthusiasts, zoologists and students alike.

scholarly journals Extensive Diversity and Disparity of the Early Miocene Platanistoids (Cetacea, Odontoceti) in the Southeastern Pacific (Chilcatay Formation, Peru)

Life ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Bianucci ◽  
Christian de Muizon ◽  
Mario Urbina ◽  
Olivier Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Cladistic Analysis ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Early Miocene ◽  
Baleen Whales ◽  
The Past ◽  
Southeastern Pacific ◽  
Toothed Whale ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Material ◽  
Trophic Partitioning

Several aspects of the fascinating evolutionary history of toothed and baleen whales (Cetacea) are still to be clarified due to the fragmentation and discontinuity (in space and time) of the fossil record. Here we open a window on the past, describing a part of the extraordinary cetacean fossil assemblage deposited in a restricted interval of time (19–18 Ma) in the Chilcatay Formation (Peru). All the fossils here examined belong to the Platanistoidea clade as here redefined, a toothed whale group nowadays represented only by the Asian river dolphin Platanista gangetica. Two new genera and species, the hyper-longirostrine Ensidelphis riveroi and the squalodelphinid Furcacetus flexirostrum, are described together with new material referred to the squalodelphinid Notocetus vanbenedeni and fragmentary remains showing affinities with the platanistid Araeodelphis. Our cladistic analysis defines the new clade Platanidelphidi, sister-group to Allodelphinidae and including E. riveroi and the clade Squalodelphinidae + Platanistidae. The fossils here examined further confirm the high diversity and disparity of platanistoids during the early Miocene. Finally, morphofunctional considerations on the entire platanistoid assemblage of the Chilcatay Formation suggest a high trophic partitioning of this peculiar cetacean paleocommunity.

scholarly journals A right whale (Mysticeti, Balaenidae) from the Pleistocene of Taiwan

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng-Hsiu Tsai ◽  
Chun-Hsiang Chang
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Anterior Lobe ◽  
Taxonomic Assignment ◽  
Baleen Whales ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
The North ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Sea Bottom ◽  
History Of

AbstractCurrent patterns of biological distribution result from the deep past. Of particular interest, some closely related species appear at high latitudes of both hemispheres, but not in between, a pattern known as antitropical distribution. However, the timing, pathway, and drivers of antitropical distributions remain mostly unknown. Here we describe a new fossil, a left tympanic bulla (part of the ear bones), from the Middle/Late Pleistocene (0.78–0.01 mya, but not excluding the possibility of Holocene in age, as the specimen was dredged from the sea bottom and the geological horizon remains uncertain) of Taiwan. The tympanic bulla is diagnostic in baleen whales, and this specimen shows morphological features that are identical to extant Eubalaena, including: relatively large size (the anteroposterior length is 117 mm); rectangular outline in medial view; short anterior lobe, judging from the remaining of the lateral furrow; squared anterior margin; prominent transverse crease on the involucrum; transversely compressed in anterior view; well-developed and rounded outer lip; and parallel involucral and main ridges. Although incomplete, the morphological characters and overall similarity to extant Eubalaena allow a reliable taxonomic assignment to Eubalaena sp. The occurrence of a Pleistocene Eubalaena on the southern margin of the western North Pacific is the first balaenid fossil evidence indicative of the biotic interchange between two hemispheres leading to the origin of antitropical distribution in the Pleistocene; alternatively, this specimen might merely represent an extra-limital record of the North Pacific Eubalaena. Furthermore, this find suggests that the Eubalaena interchange, being one of the largest species displaying antitropical distribution pairs in the history of life, likely took place along the western Pacific. Notably, this does not preclude the Eubalaena interchange from other routes, such as the eastern Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean, and future finds should test the scenario for the biotic interchange between Northern and Southern Hemispheres of Eubalaena.

scholarly journals Canada’s history of failing to provide medical care for Indigenous children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakhshan Kamran
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Current Status ◽  
House Of Commons ◽  
Canadian Government ◽  
Indigenous Children ◽  
History Of ◽  
Services And Supports

Abstract In December 2007, the House of Commons unanimously supported Jordan’s Principle, a commitment that all First Nations children would receive the health care products, social services, and supports, and education they need, in memory of Jordan River Anderson. However, the process of applying for Jordan’s Principle was convoluted and not transparent, leaving several cases not being responded to. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found the definition and implementation of Jordan’s Principle to be racist and discriminatory in 2016, ordering the Canadian government to make immediate changes. Failing to make changes to Jordan’s Principle, the Canadian government was found to be noncompliant with the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal orders in 2018. This article provides one case example of Jordan’s Principle that was not responded to, details on the current status of Jordan’s Principle, and information on the recent implementation of the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families.

scholarly journals Development of an Understanding of Reactive Mercury in Ambient Air: A Review

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Mae Sexauer Gustin ◽  
Sarrah M. Dunham-Cheatham ◽  
Jiaoyan Huang ◽  
Steve Lindberg ◽  
Seth N. Lyman
Keyword(s):  
Ambient Air ◽  
Automated System ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Measurement Systems ◽  
Power Plant Emissions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Plant Emissions ◽  
Gas Measurements ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Stack Gas

This review focuses on providing the history of measurement efforts to quantify and characterize the compounds of reactive mercury (RM), and the current status of measurement methods and knowledge. RM collectively represents gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) and that bound to particles. The presence of RM was first recognized through measurement of coal-fired power plant emissions. Once discovered, researchers focused on developing methods for measuring RM in ambient air. First, tubular KCl-coated denuders were used for stack gas measurements, followed by mist chambers and annular denuders for ambient air measurements. For ~15 years, thermal desorption of an annular KCl denuder in the Tekran® speciation system was thought to be the gold standard for ambient GOM measurements. Research over the past ~10 years has shown that the KCl denuder does not collect GOM compounds with equal efficiency, and there are interferences with collection. Using a membrane-based system and an automated system—the Detector for Oxidized mercury System (DOHGS)—concentrations measured with the KCl denuder in the Tekran speciation system underestimate GOM concentrations by 1.3 to 13 times. Using nylon membranes it has been demonstrated that GOM/RM chemistry varies across space and time, and that this depends on the oxidant chemistry of the air. Future work should focus on development of better surfaces for collecting GOM/RM compounds, analytical methods to characterize GOM/RM chemistry, and high-resolution, calibrated measurement systems.

scholarly journals Cetacean strandings along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua from 2014 to 2021

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joëlle De Weerdt ◽  
Eric Angel Ramos ◽  
Etienne Pouplard ◽  
Marc Kochzius ◽  
Phillip Clapham
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Toothed Whale ◽  
Beaked Whales ◽  
Causes Of Mortality ◽  
Cuvier’S Beaked Whale ◽  
Stenella Attenuata

AbstractDocumenting marine mammal strandings provides important information needed to understand the occurrence and distribution patterns of species. Here, we report on strandings of cetaceans on the Pacific (n = 11) and Caribbean (n = 2) coasts of Nicaragua, documented opportunistically from 2014 to 2021. Strandings included three species of baleen whale (blue whale Balaenoptera musculus, Bryde’s whale Balaenoptera edeni, humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae) and five species of toothed whale (dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima, Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis, pantropical spotted dolphin Stenella attenuata, spinner dolphin Stenella longirostris, Cuvier’s beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris). These are the first published accounts of blue whales, Bryde’s whales, dwarf sperm whales, and Cuvier’s beaked whales in Nicaraguan waters. Limited resources and the advanced decomposition of animals prevented necropsies in most cases, the identification of the causes of mortality in all cases, and the species identification of two dolphins. Information derived from these stranding events offers new insights into the occurrence of marine mammals on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua and Central America.

Corning Scientific Center in St Petersburg, Russia: The history of its creation, its current status, and its prospects

2001 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 301
Author(s):  
Ch. V. Deneka ◽  
A. V. Dotsenko ◽  
Zh. G. Lemuan ◽  
D. L. Teilor
Keyword(s):  
Current Status ◽  
Scientific Center ◽  
History Of

Professional Psychology in Portugal

1997 ◽  
Vol 81 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1211-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Fagulha ◽  
Richard H. Dana
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Professional Psychology ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Advanced Degrees ◽  
Professional Degree ◽  
History Of ◽  
Training Research

This paper describes the history and current status of professional psychology in Portugal where a unique perspective combines training, research, and practical contributions from Europe and the Americas with their own history of psychological tradition and expertise. Training in professional psychology includes Social Psychology and Educational and Vocational Guidance specializations in addition to Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy and Counseling for the professional degree, Licenciatura. Advanced degrees are offered in Environmental Psychology, Career Development, Social Cognition, and other areas, primarily for academic positions. Research in all of these areas is expected to have applied outcomes that contribute to individual well being and an improved quality of life for the entire population. The result has been a rapid development of an indigenous professional psychology to address mental health, social, and environmental concerns that compel psychological attention and resources worldwide as well as those problems of local and national origins.

MicroRNA annotation in plants: current status and challenges

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongxin Zhao ◽  
Zheng Kuang ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Lei Li ◽  
Xiaozeng Yang
Keyword(s):  
Small Rna ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Mirna Biogenesis ◽  
Plant Mirnas ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Plant Mirna ◽  
History Of ◽  
Mirna Biogenesis Pathway

Abstract Last two decades, the studies on microRNAs (miRNAs) and the numbers of annotated miRNAs in plants and animals have surged. Herein, we reviewed the current progress and challenges of miRNA annotation in plants. Via the comparison of plant and animal miRNAs, we pinpointed out the difficulties on plant miRNA annotation and proposed potential solutions. In terms of recalling the history of methods and criteria in plant miRNA annotation, we detailed how the major progresses made and evolved. By collecting and categorizing bioinformatics tools for plant miRNA annotation, we surveyed their advantages and disadvantages, especially for ones with the principle of mimicking the miRNA biogenesis pathway by parsing deeply sequenced small RNA (sRNA) libraries. In addition, we summarized all available databases hosting plant miRNAs, and posted the potential optimization solutions such as how to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in these databases. Finally, we discussed the challenges and perspectives of plant miRNA annotations, and indicated the possibilities offered by an all-in-one tool and platform according to the integration of artificial intelligence.

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